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Hello, and welcome to the momentum podcast, the show dedicated to inspiring, uplifting and empowering women on their journey through motherhood. I'm your host, Tanya Valentine. And today we have a truly remarkable guest who embodies the spirit of our mission. Karen Sallade, a name synonymous with wellness and natural healing joins us today. She's not only an accomplished mom, but also the driving force behind aroma relief, a company passionate about finding homeopathic alternatives to life's common ailments. But before we dive into her incredible journey and insights, let's give Karen the floor. Karen, could you please introduce yourself to our wonderful audience and share a bit of your story?

Yes, Tanya, Hi, How are you. You're good, great. And I have been a massage therapist for 30 years, and started my journey in massage therapy because I was a single mom and I wanted to do something where I could be with my son when he was out of school, and, and do something in the in a healing type way, I'd always been in the health club industry very interested in the body, and just kind of fell into massage therapy and decided, You know what, I don't like it anymore. I'm going to stop. And that was three years ago. So I'm in taking care of my clients.

I realized that aromatherapy would be very beneficial for some of the, you know, suffering from back pain or

skin irritations, I saw everything in 30 years. And all available to me was this white cream are just people were using baby oil and my hands are starting to hurt because I didn't get any stick when I was working on people. So I started to think to myself, you know, if I can use a product that not only benefits my my clients, but will also benefit me, that would be a win win. Yeah. So that's how I kind of started my journey in aromatherapy. And that was about eight years ago.

So with that said, I decided to come up with some massage creams and oils for my clients. But it expanded into, I think I have about 16 different products now, which address some skin disorders

as well as ailments that people everyday ailments, things like bug spray,

is a perfect example of I wanted something that was more homeopathic, because I couldn't use things like off the irritated my skin, things like that. So that's kind of how I started and and here I am. I'm still massaging. But I'm trying to educate people on the benefits of aromatherapy and essential oils. And so this is a great platform for me to do that. I appreciate the opportunity. Yeah, well, I love having you here. And your mission is to find homeopathic alternatives to common ailments.

So, could you share a little bit more on like, what inspired you to explore this path and how it aligns with your passion for wellness and skincare?

Yeah, so like I said, it did start with the massage industry. But then I had a dog who just recently passed away at 15. And she was have all kinds of skin rashes. And she was a sharpei. And they're known for their skin rashes and sensitivity

to skin situations. So I came up with a dog shampoo. And in researching what to make it out of I realized that most products are made with sodium lauryl sulfate, it's in everything. It's an emulsifier. But it causes eczema and dryness and people and then my dog obviously. And then I added some essential oils in it to to benefit her and ways of flea prevention, but also that it's made with cinnamon, clove and cedarwood. And it's a Castile based soap. So that is a natural emulsifier. And I made the shampoo for her to get her off of Conformis, which is now called trifectas. But also helped with her skin issues. And that kind of graduated into an everyday bug spray, which I sprayed on her. But then my clients became interested in and that's sort of how that one product turned into the many. Then I came up with sprays for allergies and sprays that help you sleep and then it goes on and on. 

 

And what is trifecta? Is that your dog? Oh, yeah, it's very common. I mean, you go to the vet, and you believe everything that the vet says, you know, my dog has to be on heartworm medication. My dog has to be on

On Trifecta this My dog has to be. So I started researching because my dog actually had a seizure at seven. And when he brought her to the vet, he said, Oh, sometimes this happens because she's on conformis. And I said, Well, what do you mean, she's on conformis? So they said, Well, it's a pesticide. When ingested, it gets in the dog's bloodstream. And a lot of dogs have an allergic reaction to it. I said, Well, why are you prescribing it them? And

so I said, Well, if essential oils get in the bloodstream, why not come up with something that would benefit the dog and keep them from getting bitten by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. But because

I've researched and informed this is what happened, I realized it was banned in every other country, but the United States like for that reason, and also handlers like so if you have a child petting your dog, and

it gets absorbed through the skin of the child.

So what the United States did is decide, okay, people are going to catch on that this is a pesticide and we're doing this so they rename it trifectas. And it's kind of hidden under this assumption that it's a flea medication, but also a heartworm preventative. And I don't put my I have a new puppy, who's six months old. I don't put her on that. I don't put her on. So you know, I know you just had two dogs, unfortunately, that recently passed, I apologize for bringing up dogs. But, um, they still sell it. I, of course, I brought my dog in for her puppy shots, and they're trying to push it down my throat. Um, but like I said, it's not only dangerous to the dog, because it's a pesticide. But it's also dangerous to anybody petting the dog handling the dog. Yeah. So that's kind of my soapbox on the flea and tick industry and dogs, but everybody has to make their own decision about what's right for them. Right.

I was gonna say but it sounds to me like that's the mission of your company to Yeah, to come up with non toxic alternatives. Because it's not just like, What happened to your dog, which that sounds horrible. She ended up having seizures. But I mean, think of all the other stuff that's in our products, like lotions, shampoo, sprays, candles, if you want to talk a little bit about that. I know.

Before this, you've been sending me

information and articles on like, things that are in candles for instance. Did you want to talk get into a little bit of Yeah, I think so. To maybe just touch on the fact that, you know, What Is Aromatherapy? And how does it work? And yeah, oh, you know, I also like to come into my home and have it smell. You know, I have an office in my home, people come over here to get massages, I want it to smell like a spa. So you know, we get tricked into thinking, Okay, we're gonna buy these little plugins and air fresheners to make the house smell great. But all of those synthetic products have been are full of neurotoxins. So they're linked to brain inflammation, which causes diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression, it's as toxic as sniffing glue. So I had to figure out how to make my home smell better without using those plugins. And then since that already started my journey in aromatherapy, it made sense to start to figure out why, why do we burn things in our house? How does it affect us, you know, so I bought a little using those little humidifiers, I put essential oils in that. And when you breathe in an essential oil, it it, it sends messages to your brain. Some of them are under your control. And some of them are not things that you're drawn to, for instance, I might not be drawn to in terms of smells, and it's linked a lot to our memories. So for instance, my dad used to cut the grass on Sunday morning, and having lost my dad 30 plus years ago. I love the smell of grass. It just reminds me of him. So all of the things that I'm drawn to that I put in my diffuser are things like grass smells, that makes sense pine and woodsy things because it elicits this memory, this happy memory for me.

But essential oils also can get in your bloodstream. And like you're mentioning things like creams. It's very dangerous to be using something on your skin.

When you don't know what is in the product, because when it gets into your bloodstream, it's directly absorbed. It doesn't undergo a filtering process if that makes sense. So it goes right into your bloodstream right

Through circulatory system and you know you're exposed to it, might as well be something good is what I'm saying. Right? So I put together the oils and the creams and things. So we get out of the shower, you can put on an oil, and know that it's benefiting you, you know, in some ways, not only the smell, but through the bloodstream. Yeah. So that's why I wanted to start exploring more, not just the smells in my home, but also putting products on my skin that are going to be good for me. And my clients. And things started to take off in terms of therapy. I had people come to me who had problems with skin conditions, and the light and I started, I took an aromatherapy class because I said, Now I'm getting serious, you know, people are depending on me, for something more than a massage. They want to know, what can I do for this or that I want to try something other than a crane, that a steroid cream, for instance, that breaks down the epidermis, and you don't want to be putting that on your child when they have a skin rash. Nor are you supposed to like their you know what the doctors tell you to do it. So you feel like okay, the doctor told me to do it, you know, it must be good. Right, right.

And then the next thing I wanted to ask you was, I know you offer a range of skincare products infused with your essential oils. And for like overwhelmed moms in particular, like my main audience here, which products from your line do you believe would bring the most benefit? And what are the key ingredients and their healing properties in those products?

Well, probably one of the ones I might recommend, primarily would be the bug spray or the insect repellent because it's actually something you put on your child every day or irregardless of whether they're going to be outside or not. It smells great. It's gonna sound slower than cedar wouldn't it which kind is I think you have some its use. So the child smells kind of like a Christmas tree. And they love it to the in the healing benefits. like cinnamon helps remove blood impurities and facilitates healing and blooms. It relieves symptoms of a cold sore throat and congestion. Cedar wood is an anti inflammatory. So it's good for people with arthritis, headaches, it's also an insecticide. And these and then the clove is awesome because it increases your body's metabolism by increasing blood circulation. So it's kind of a natural metabolism booster if you want to say, and the three of them work kind of synergistically together. And most of the bug sprays out there have you know, they smell yucky? They've got like

what are they? What are they can't even remember

that? Yeah, yeah, like lemongrass. Okay, lemongrass, I, I just don't understand when there's so many other things that smell better, why you would not put something better smelling it, but it's a fragrance anyway, and we shouldn't be using it. But

in a lot of those products, if they are creams, if you think about it, putting the cream on your skin, which creates a barrier between the body being able to absorb the product that's supposed to keep the bugs away. So if you even look at a cannon off, it won't tell you what the ingredients are, which is I thought it was illegal, but I tried to research what's in it. And because I googled it I bought countless numbers of bugs spray I can't figure out why they don't have to tell you what's in it. But that's pretty scary. I'd rather see moms using something like a bug spray that they know is going to benefit their child. That would probably be the number one thing I would use and I have you know I have sprays I have oils and I have creams I also have a spray that's popular with moms there's something called Don't stress me out and it's got lavender and cedarwood and I tell the moms to tell their kids it's very spread and helps you sleep

pillow What do you put on you know put it right on their skin haven't closed her eyes so it gets in there oh factory they smell it and it also gets in their bloodstream and and helps with sleep and it helps calm them and they love it because it becomes part of a routine that they can incorporate for sleep. Yeah. Oh, I haven't tried that one yet. I gotta try. Yeah, actually your your cousin uses a lot Lea.

I sell her a lot of products. So that would be and then of course the baby bomb, which is a diaper rash preventative. It's a made with almond oil, a little bit of beeswax which is I melted it doesn't look you know it's a cream. But the beeswax is great because it helps repel moisture. So you literally could put it on your arm and dump water on your arm and we'll beat up and that's really the way to keep a baby from getting Diaper rash is keep the barrier from staying moist. And I put about 10 drops of lavender in there just a little bit

for smelling

You can barely smell it, but you want to put it on the baby before they get a diaper rash. Yeah, I use mine at each diaper change and I can count I can't even count on like one hand, the amount of times that Serena has had a diaper rash. Yeah, and that I mean a baby's skin is, I mean the most sensitive,

you know, skin and put something you know, over the counter product on it. To combat diaper rash. It's just scares me to death because now you have an open sore, so to speak, when you have a baby with diaper rash, and you're putting something on it. That's not homeopathic. It's getting right into their bloodstream, right? Who knows? Who knows what happens? Right? What is in it, those

the we also talked about pronouns. We also talked about the other day you said

you know, I guess they did, your baby had a little bit of a flare up. So then I have a scar cream,

which is called scar cream because it helps repair rejuvenate skin, it's got rows in it, which is number one ingredient, most aging skincare products that will help rejuvenate the skin. And if you do, if a child gets a little bit of a flare up, it's perfectly safe to use that on them too. The other thing about the products for babies is you know, babies are always sticking their hands in their mouth and stuck it on their fingers and stuff. And all the essential oils that you know, you can put the body lotions and stuff on the baby if they do stick their hands in their mouth, it's not going to hurt them. Yes, it's a natural advance based product. So any of the products I mean, I use everything for a different reason. I have on my website, I have something called nature's medicine chest, which is what I like to call my line. And I think there's four or five products in there that kind of cover all the bases you know the bug spray the scar cream and and it's just kind of nice because you can kind of say, Oh, this is happening I need to get my allergy spray out, you know that that sort of thing. So that's kind of what I would suggest is is maybe just looking through what you might find beneficial depending on your child how old they are, what they're going through. Right? So you said the boy has the baby but cream it to the Buddha balm is that what it's called in?

I'm sorry, what's your question? The name of the baby cream that I use like

baby Buddha Buck bomb or something?

Yeah, it's a tongue twister and then you said the don't stress me out spray which I definitely am. I have not tried that yet. And I'm gonna try the bugs were moms too. Okay, yeah, yes, we all do need

the bug spray which is great. We have we have that and I love it. I love the smell and it's also great for sore muscles too. Yeah. And then the scar spray or the scar cream right? Which I would imagine would be great for like any moms out there who have like a C section scar. Yes. Yeah. Or or could work too on like stretch marks. Would it work for that? Okay. And when we were talking the other day you said something about using was it a jade stone?

Oh yeah. So um, Jade stones and you can get them on Amazon.

They have a lot of healing properties. The jade itself so I have jade stone some I keep in the fridge some I put in a hot towel caddy but you can heat them up too. And I if I'm working on someone that has a scar, I will incorporate the Jade stones in the scar cream because it'll really help facilitate the wound healing and they're cheap. They're like 10 bucks for the Jade stones and you know if you have eye puffiness, you can use them around your eyes. I mean they're just nice to have. If your kid is stressed out or they're having a little meltdown. You know they get their Little Jade stones out and you can do a little head massage on them and you believe you know they love it. I can't believe how well it works. And then you incorporate the aromatherapy little cream cream that you have you know even you can get the massage cream. Massaging your your child is is a great way to bond with them. But also help them with with everyday stress. Yeah. And all my products. The bug spray people do bring that they're put in their kids backpack and send them to school with it. And I get a lot of feedback of why can't we put this in plastic Why does it have to be in glass but all of my stuff is in dark amber bottles because you have to keep the light from getting into the essential oils to keep it good you know keep them appealing properties. That official I have seen what happens when you put it in in plastic because I was just curious and actually eats away in essential oils will eat away the plastic and out of the bottle and the light gets in and that turns rancid so all the products are involved

holes, okay, and they look pretty to

want your bathroom to look pretty with your little bottles there. So yeah. Nice.

So my next question, I was gonna ask you with your extensive experience as a massage therapist and aroma therapist. Could you share a success story or two about a how aroma relief products have made a significant difference in someone's life by providing relief from some common ailments?

Um, yeah, I actually, something happened a couple of months ago. I have a client, I see you're probably two or three times a month. She's a woman in her 50s. And she had a breast reduction. And due to the surgery, and that and it sometimes happens after you have a baby, she ended up with hemorrhoids. Very uncomfortable. I had them after I had my son. And luckily, they went away. But she tried everything to get rid of her hemorrhoids. And she just came to me and she said, I know you're like, you know, this mad scientist, can you come up with something? So I researched

three essential oils that that work synergistically to help with inflammation. The number one thing I think was the cinnamon in it.

But it's got clove, peppermint and cinnamon. So it's something that you know, she used because she had that flare up, but she says she, she's, she won't be without it. Because even if you have the

unfortunate problem of maybe going to the bathroom too much, and that area gets a little inflamed or uncomfortable. You can use the booty balm there too for that. So she said within two days, her hemorrhoids were gone. She was so happy.

It may of course made me happy. Because I know how uncomfortable they can be. So that I guess I would consider a success story. For sure. Yeah. And what's the name of that product? That is called booty B OTY. Okay. Okay. And it's just it goes right into this goes in the description. It talks about it being specifically for hemorrhoids. Okay. Yeah. So that, but you can also use it like you said, when if your baby has like a diaper rash? Yeah, I wouldn't rash, right, you can use that or the scar cream, I probably would prefer the scar cream because it's got a little bit gentler ingredients. Okay, gar cream is Juniper, lavender and Rose, which are for skin rejuvenation, where's the booty balm is to address inflammation problem? Okay, area, which is different than a rash? If that makes sense. Yes, yeah. Yeah, so I think we talked about the scar cream for your baby. Um, and like I said, you don't have to use it very long. I mean, in one or two days, I've actually used that on my dog when, when she got a hotspot. I mean, that happens with dogs all the time. And

you don't have to worry if your dog licks it off, you know, because it's not going to harm the dog. So it's amazing. And, you know, dogs will get hotspots like by the back tail area of their bodies, because that's where like fleas will, will attack because they know the dog can't get to them.

Sometimes that people that have their dogs have rashes on their belly, because they're low lying dogs, you know, toxins and small dogs that touch the grass all the time with their bellies, and they'll end up with skin irritation, so they use the shampoo, and then lose a little bit of those scar cream when it's inflamed. So

those two things have worked. Well, I think for addressing problems that arise.

I answer your question. Yes.

Beautiful. Well, as we wrap up, I just want you to talk about as an experience, mom, and you were a single working mom, I know you've consistently prioritized self care, which is a key focus of this show. And I just would like if you would share, could you share with our listeners, how you managed to prioritize your self care in your own life? And what were the tangible benefits you experienced? And also, if there's one valuable takeaway, you'd want our listeners to remember what would that be?

Well, yeah, I think self care. I mean, what's the when you go on the plane, what do they say put your own oxygen mask on first, on your child. self care is really important. In order to be the best mom you can be. So a lot of us maybe don't can't afford to go get a massage or a facial every week. So I think daily rituals that incorporate self care. Like for me, the first thing I do is I get up in the morning and I light my diffusers depending on my mood. I might put lavender in. I might you know I might be a little congested. I'll put

eucalyptus in, um, and then I do, I take my shower, I put my oil on maybe one day I put comfort oil on something else post workout another day. So I incorporate aromatherapy into my self care daily because it makes me feel better. I know it's good for me.

And that is something that's simple to do, it's economical to do.

And I think, like we talked about self care as a mom, especially because we're always taking care of others.

This is a way we can start taking care of ourselves, and be the best version of ourselves. So that's what I do. I mean, I do yoga, and I like to exercise like you that's very important to me. And I have to prioritize that. Even if I've had a long day of massages, to get out and do something, athletic exercise get outside, very important to me, like self care ritual.

And I guess the one takeaway is that, you know, I'm a little bit older than you in my 60s. And you know, we were always taught, Hey, you gotta take this aspirin, you gotta take that if you have an allergy. And I think that as mom's being responsible for our children,

educating them in the benefits of essential oils, and giving them some alternatives, educating ourselves, in the benefits that we might be able to raise a generation that will be more in tune with alternatives, that

and just giving them the tools they need. And it's fun. I mean, it's really fun to, you know, get a little book on aromatherapy. Figure out what you're drawn to start experimenting with it, and teach your kids I know this gentleman, it gets up every morning. And he you know, kids get involved again, in school, they put the skinny spray on, because it helps them with their sinus this up gets them ready for the day. And it's just teaching them about the benefits of essential oils have been around for 2000 years. It's what our ancestors used when they didn't have medicines and drugs and things like that. So the takeaway to me would be to just learn more about aromatherapy. Experiment with it, and have fun with it and teach your kids about it. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, question. Question, right. And like an advocate for yourself, and an educate, don't be so quick to believe that. I mean, love, love doctors, and real. I mean,

I think that in veterinarians, and I think that the intention is, you know, not to harm or anything, but just don't be so quick to believe that they have all the right answers, and that you have to do.

Whatever they are suggesting that you do just do your own research and be your own advocate.

Yeah, I think we're intuitive as women, we're intuitive. And if something doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't. And there's nothing wrong with asking questions. Sometimes you're raised in a household where you're not allowed to ask questions. And yeah, I love that, like asking questions. Yeah. Cuz I feel like we were brought up like, Don't question me. Right? Yeah. Like, our, our religion and even like our parents, too, and that it's fine. Like, that's how they were raised. Like,

you know, why can't? Why can't I go over to Sarah's house? Because I said, so don't question me, you know.

But you really do you do? Have you have to ask questions, because that's how you get your answers. Right, right. I mean, we're from the minute where we can talk, we're told to listen, you know, and I think the dialogue should be to encourage the kids to ask questions, and

then we can get, you know, I come from a long line of doctors and nurses to and I, I think, you know, they take one class and nutrition to become a doctor still to this day. Yeah. So it's, you know, it's just because this is my passion, that it's led me to ask a lot of questions and try to find a lot of alternatives. And I've done a lot of the grunt work for people, which sometimes people say, I just want to go on your website and buy what you told me to buy. Right? I don't really want to, you know, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do that. And there's that's fine. Yeah, yeah. That's my passion. So just hit me up for what you need.

I talked to people all the time, they'll send me messages on my website. I call them I'll have to our conversations with him about what's what's happening in their life and what they need. Everybody from someone going through chemotherapy, you know, need to just suffering, sprain and wanting to know, do I isolate this? What do I use for it? So I don't mind doing the grunt work. If you have questions you can call me but I think Aromatherapy is fun. I think once you start to get into the benefits of it and realizing it's very economical to get a little diffuser, I think they're 12 bucks on Amazon and put some essential oils in there and all

Houses smell great. And you don't have to be supporting synthetic fragrances, which, yeah, and they're better for the environment too, right? Oh, for sure. Yeah. Because it's all derived from plants. And then, you know, some people will go on it's $20 for a little bottle of lavender. I said, Well, yeah, but there's like 300 drops in there and lasts a while. And it takes a lot. I mean, there's, I think they use 30 roses in one drop of rose oil. So the process of it, I do want to tell people that when you do say you go to the store and you buy an essential a little bit your diffuser, make sure it's an organic essential oil, and you'll know what it is because it'll say lavender, but it also say the Greek name for lavender. Does that make sense? 

though I don't know what that means it's just the Greek word for lavender. And that's how you'll know it's an organic, because they have synthetic oils out there too that are your diffusers and here you are thinking you're doing something good. And then you're out there buying a synthetic oil and it will say fragrance. Fragrance can be the app. So it's just look for the Greek version of that after in the oil on your meal, you can tell the difference between a synthetic oil and, and those Yankee Candles. I was just talking to somebody about this the other day, loaded with synthetic fragrances very bad for you. Oh, so if you've got to buy candles, I'm a pyromaniac. I love candles, I make them I just don't put them on my website. But make sure it's a soy candle with me with essential oils, and they're going to be more expensive, but it's better for you in the long run. Okay, awesome. Well, thank you all for joining us today on the momentum podcast, we've had the privilege of hearing from the wonderful Karen Sallade, who is a true inspiration in the World of Wellness and natural healing. Care and your journey and insights have been enlightening. And we're grateful for the knowledge you've shared about aroma relief and aroma therapy and your passion for homeopathic solutions. Before we say goodbye, I'd like to take a moment to highlight a key takeaway from today's conversation. Karen, who's an experienced mom who prioritize self care, your message resonates deeply with our mission to empower women on their journey through motherhood. And the importance of self care can't be overstated. And your story is a testament to the positive impact it can have on our lives, I want you all to remember that self care isn't selfish. It's actually an essential part of nurturing ourselves so we can better care for our loved ones. So just remember to prioritize it, just as Karen has done. And Karen, can you tell everyone where they can find you a neat your website. And also Karen is going to share with you guys a discount code that she's so kindly and generously is sharing with the momentum podcast listeners. So go ahead, Karen.

Yes, so my my website is called aroma relief products. And if you just click on that, you'll know it's me because you'll see like a little girl that looks like a Buddha. And the products on there, I'm doing a coupon code Tanya 20 20% off your entire purchase, whatever you decide to get. And if you have you can send me my phone numbers right there on the website. And I talk to people all the time. If you have questions, concerns, feel free to call me it's not a bother. I love it. If you have this particular situation or something you're trying to figure out how to conquer just ask a question, or maybe we'll come up with a product together. I think I'm going after you. There you go.

Awesome, thank you. So what it what about? Are you do you want people to find you on Facebook or Instagram? Well, I'm working on my Instagram as we speak. And I'm hoping to have it beautiful with you know, I have a lot of content I haven't posted yet. But I will be on Instagram shortly. But the website is probably the best way to reach me. And if they go on your website, will you have like when your Instagram is up? Will you have that on there? So okay, well, yeah. And my Instagram is or I mean, I have one he's just nothing posted yet. It's aroma relief products. But I will I have this perfection issue where everything has to be perfect as I can discuss with you. So I'm overcoming that.

And another podcast topic for another day. Perfection. It's another topic. It's another 30 minute interview. Yes. Awesome. Well, thank you Karen, for your time, your insights and the incredible, incredible work that you've done with your aroma relief company and aromatherapy, all the research that you've done and the value that you are contributing to the world.

Yes. So to our listeners, stay tuned for more empowering stories and advice on your motherhood journey. And we'll be back with another episode next week. Until then, take care and stay empowered.